The Caterer
by greencopperpenny
Summary: Scorpius comes from a family where money is hard pressed, so he figures it best to get a summer job. He begins work at a catering company for the parties of the very rich, where he falls in love with one of the frequent guests- the e'er-vibrant Rose Weasley. A story of both love and class.
1. Chapter 1

It was a simple truth. Money didn't come easily, not any more. As a young boy, his father had lulled him to sleep with grand descriptions of indulgent feasts, bright chandeliers, and balls held in their very own ballroom. But Malfoy Manor had long been stripped of many of its best furnishings. Scorpius had grown up in a mostly empty- albeit large- household. He'd often wondered why they had so many bedrooms for only three people, or four, when his aunt Daphne came to visit.

He was getting sick of staring at the breeze which played with the dingy curtains.

So he figured it wouldn't hurt anything (aside from his father's pride) to get a summer job. He could even use the money to help chip in for his textbooks and things for his last year at Hogwarts. His mate Gregory was working with a catering company and had agreed to talk to the boss.

A week after asking, Gregory came to visit Malfoy Manor, and he brought with him good news. "Manager says you can come. You just need black clothes and dress shoes," he informed Scorpius, before thanking Astoria for the pancakes.

Scorpius tried not to look too disappointed. He had the black clothes- Merlin knew, the boy liked to wear black- but dress shoes? His only shoes were the trainers his parents had gotten him for Christmas the year before. He knew they weren't going to be keen on buying him new ones.

After Gregory had left, Scorpius laid on his bed and read, when his mother knocked lightly on the door before entering.

"Scorpius?"

He sat up. "Yeah?"

Astoria came to sit beside him, revealing in her lap a pair of shiny, black leather shoes. "These are for you," she explained, adding, "They're your father's," at the sight of Scorpius's widened eyes. "Real dragon's leather, too. He wore them to our wedding."

Scorpius smiled as he brushed his fingers against the cool, smooth leather. "Mum… thank you."

"Just don't tell him I gave them to you." She gave his shoulders a squeeze and his hair a soft stroke before slipping out. While a woman of few words, she always knew just what to do to make him feel better.

Catering was boring as hell, but it paid pretty decently, and- best of all- it gave him an insight into the world of the other half. Their weddings, parties, and even funerals were obscenely decadent and elaborate. No matter what part of the room he was working, there was always the scent of somebody's perfume or cigar smoke.

After a while, he started recognizing faces from event to event. There was the lady who always wore absurdly large hats, and the little boy who couldn't seem to keep his shoes on.

And then there were the people he already knew.

Seeing the Potters and Weasleys, some of whom were still his classmates, at an event for the first time was the first time Scorpius felt embarrassed about his job. For the first time, he was ashamed to be working. He was ashamed that his trousers barely hit the tops of his ankles. He was ashamed he'd left his shirt wrinkled, even though it really wasn't his fault that he hadn't had time to charm it because by the time he got to the event, he was supposed to already be filling champagne flutes.

Seeing Lily Potter and Hugo Weasley wasn't too bad, because they were younger and they'd hardly even noticed each other during their years at Hogwarts. It was much harder for him to bear the idea of having Albus or Rose see him, instead of students and equals, but as opposites on a spectrum: he was the help, while they were the glamorous party-goers, society darlings; he was working while they were drinking and dancing and socializing; he was walking around with trays while they stood and occasionally plucked things off of them.

At the event where he first saw them, a wedding, Albus gave a cheerful hello, and Scorpius was happy that the interaction was better than he'd anticipated. As luck would have it (or perhaps would _not _have it, depending) it seemed Rose Weasley hadn't even noticed him at all. She even placed a lipstick-smudged napkin on his half-empty tray, and he sucked in his breath, waiting for her to turn and look and see him, only, she never turned to look, her eyes caught on something else.

In some ways, Scorpius was glad, because when he had glanced down at himself when he saw her walking towards him, he noticed he had this bright spot of yellow mustard on the front of his shirt. And then he looked at her, as she was still staring at some faraway thing, and he again felt shame, because she was so very, very pretty, with her hair all done up, and wearing a floaty navy dress that he was sure was worth more than half the clothes he owned put together.

When she had waked away, he looked down at himself again, and this time it seemed as though the mustard spot was mocking him.

It's not as though Scorpius and Rose had even interacted much in school. He was a Ravenclaw, and she, the feistiest of Gryffindors. She was one of those beautiful, charming people who just seemed to waltz through life. Everything was a dream to her, not quite real. A game, really. And she happened to play exceptionally well.

Rose was vibrant, and as vibrant people do, she attracted others to her. Lots of friends, plenty of interested guys. It seemed even teachers lit up a bit when she entered the room. And she was damn smart, too.

And Scorpius? Well, beyond the Malfoy name, he was invisible. His biggest claim to fame (ignoring for a moment his father's infamous backstory) was as the Guy Who Saved Hogfest, the annual end of the year party. For some reason, he'd been pegged as the only student capable of casting a concealment charm strong enough to hide the noise. He didn't even attend. He didn't like parties much, because he never knew what to do there.

Oh, the irony.

Second time he saw the Weasley-Potter clan at an event was at some old looking fellow's retirement party. Scorpius freshened up the buffet table of snacks and went outside the back door they'd used to bring the food in. Ross, their manager, had told him to take a fifteen minute break anyways, in order to keep him from looking cross-eyed bored in front of the guests.

He was ten minutes into his break, sitting comfortably on a marble step and reading a book in lantern-light, when the back door burst open. First came a cloud of candy-pink fabric, followed by the red head of one Rose Weasley.

"Sorry," she said when she saw him. She leaned against a porch column near the stars, arms folded.

"You alright?" He set down his book.

She turned and really looked at him. "Hey, I go to school with you. You're the guy who saved Hogfest. Well, shit. You're- you're something-Malfoy."

"Scorpius," he filled in.

She smiled and extended her hand and added, "Rose," and he tentatively leaned over and shook it.

"I always thought that was so funny," Rose said as she came to sit beside him on the stairs. Scorpius winced as the fabric of her dress touched the ground. Her dress probably cost more than he made in the past two weeks. "I always that that was so funny, how you saved a party and then you didn't even go to it." He shrugged. "Do you not like parties?" she asked.

"Do you?" he replied, gesturing with his hand to the house.

Now she looked sheepish. The pink of her cheeks clashed with the pink of her dress which clashed with the red of her hair. "I needed a break." Her voice was soft.

"Hey, me, too."

She gave a little laugh at his poor joke. A moment passed, and Scorpius was suddenly aware the night air was a little chilly, and that the grass was still too green, even in the dim light of the lantern, and a million other irrelevant things. He wondered briefly if she noticed any of it too, because by the looks of it she was lost in her own world again, looking but not seeing.

"Is it not as much fun as it looks?" he managed, once he'd worked up the courage to break the silence.

"What? These stupid parties?" She stared at him with her big brown eyes before looking back at her shoes. "Well, it could be worse."

"I meant being wealthy enough to go to them."

Her short, dry laugh made his skin prickle.

"Are you one of those rich kids that hates being rich?" he joked, hoping his nerves wouldn't show in his voice.

She rolled her eyes but she smiled a little too. "Nope, my cousin James has got that covered for the whole family."

They faded back to silence for a bit, and Scorpius picked up his book because he didn't know what to say, though for the life of him he seemed to have forgotten how to read.

"Fitzgerald? I would never have pegged a Malfoy as a reader of Muggle classics," came her voice, as she plucked a blade of grass from the lawn that touched the sides of the stairs and began to rip it apart.

"So you've read him?"

She laughed. "Do you _know _who my mother is?" and then, quieter, "Sorry, that didn't mean to come out so snotty."

Shaking his head, he told her it hadn't sounded snotty, not to him.

"You must think we're all a bunch of snobs." She flung the bits of grass from her hand and watched them fall onto the marble like green confetti. "I had to wear this awful dress because it was a gift," she lamented. "Tell me, honestly, is it terrible?"

"I-"

"Oh, nevermind. I'd rather you didn't say."

Now Scorpius laughed, and when he did, he noticed her looking at him.

"Hey, how come we never talked at school?" said she.

He raised an eyebrow. "We're worlds apart."

"That's a silly reason."

He supposed it was.

"Well, I've got to go back in…." She stood, brushing bits of grass off of her skirt. "Nice seeing you, though," she called over her shoulder, right before the little thud of the door being closed.

He didn't know if it was possible to be in love with someone you'd only talked to at most three times before, but he didn't think it implausible. Later, when he was walking around with a tray of wine glasses, they made eye contact, and she offered him a little smile and a wave.

The bartender called him over when he passed by. "What was that?" said Mitch, the bartender and the only other member of the catering staff Scorpius was really friends with besides Gregory. Mitch was in his thirties and had that scruffy look of a guy pretending not to care too much.

"What d'you mean?"

Mitch rolled his eyes as he cleaned a glass with a wet cloth. "Don't be coy, Scorp. The girl. She waved to you."

Scorpius pretended he wasn't blushing. "We go to school together."

Mitch sighed and set down the glass he was cleaning. "Look, Scorpius. You're soft. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I don't follow."

"Just don't fall for girls who go to parties like these. It never works out. Remember, she gets to drink the wine, you just get to carry it around."

Scorpius nodded and headed back to the kitchen, trying to make sense of what Mitch had just told him.

When the guests started leaving, he tried to catch her eye again to wave goodbye, but she was engaged in a conversation with some bloke who seemed just a few years older than them, and he had to get back to the kitchen to start washing dishes and packing up. He tried to ignore that twinge that had started in his stomach upon seeing her with that other guy, and he cursed himself for caring.

* * *

AN: This was just going to be a one shot... and then it grew much, much too long. Meaning more chapters are just waiting to be posted.

Heavily inspired by this letter: letterstocrushes (dot com) (slash) letter (slash) 567378

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Next time he saw her was at a ball in July. It was in honor of some witch's coming of age (he learned later in the night it was for one of Rose's cousins, Roxanne, whom he knew attended Beauxbatons.) Everyone was dressed even more finely than usual, and the staff had even been issued boutonnieres- white carnations. The location was the beautiful ballroom of an old castle-like hotel, and the place was teeming with the creme de la creme of the Wizarding world. Rumor had it the Minister for Magic herself was planning on stopping by.

By August, working parties had become second nature. No longer did he worry about bumping into guests or knocking over trays. He rarely spilled anything on himself, and his polite smile was so well-practiced, he didn't have to consciously think about putting it on anymore.

So perhaps it was hubris, his belief that he no longer needed to think too much about what he was doing, that led to the night's unfortunate turn. When he learned that the Weasleys would be there, he had begun immediately searching for Rose in the crowd. Finally, he spotted her, and she looked more beautiful than ever. The dress she wore was a pale gold color, and hugged her tightly where appropriate but was in no way trashy, landing just above the knee. The the thin straps showed off her freckled shoulders, and Scorpius subconsciously took a step towards her- landing on the foot of a party-goer.

The party-goer was extremely displeased. "Wotcher, you pillock!" he cried, grabbing his shoe and hopping up and down on his uninjured leg. "Just where do they find these imbeciles?"

A few nearby guests turned to look. Scorpius began making apologies until the man grabbed him by the front of the shirt. "Tell me you name, kid. I wanna make sure I can write in on the report." The man leaned in, and Scorpius could smell the firewhisky on his breath.

"Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy," he said softly, looking around at the many pairs of eyes watching them.

"Malfoy, eh?" the man bellowed. By now there were nearly twenty people surrounding them, paying close attention and muttering to one another. "Lookie here, folks. We've got a Malfoy." He chuckled, and as he did, he noticed Scorpius's shoes. Glaring, he remarked, "Awful strange that poor ol' Malfoy's boy would be wearing such nice shoes. Thought we took away all that stuff after the war."

Suddenly, the voice he'd been hoping to hear chimed in. "Mr. McLaggen, you're drunk. Why don't you leave Scorpius alone?" She'd somehow managed to break through the ring of people around them and came to stand beside Scorpius.

McLaggen leered at her. "Oh ho ho, so that's how it is. Ron Weasley's girl's got a thing for the help."

Scorpius noticed Rose was blushing furiously but she maintained a fearless demeanor. "Even if I did, it wouldn't be a concern of yours. Won't you please be civil?"

McLaggen laughed. "You're telling _me _to be civil? What about the spawn of evil itself, huh Rosie?"

This wasn't the first (nor the last) time people had used Scorpius's father's past against him. Even at school, there were kids who after certain History of Magic lessons would glare at or recoil from him. This was part of the reason he tried to maintain a low profile.

Only now, there was no way to hide.

"Mr. McLaggen, I'm afraid you're making quite a fool of yourself," said Rose, grabbing Scorpius's arm. "Scorpius here is a nice guy, and he really shouldn't have to stand this sort of abuse."

Rose began pulling him away and Scorpius turned over his shoulder to call out another apology for stepping on McLaggen's shoes.

"You really don't need to apologize, Scorpius. He's just an old drunk who gets jealous when he sees young people, because he peaked at Hogwarts," said Rose as she towed Scorpius through the crowd.

When they were finally in open space again, the crowd having dispersed once it was assured that no further drama would be following, Scorpius found himself one-on-one with Rose Weasley, the distant but consistent object of his affections for the past few months.

"Thanks for that," he said.

She gave him one of her bright smiles. "Anytime. Besides, anyone with common courtesy would have done the same."

"But no one else did."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "My point exactly. These people don't want anything to do wit the word 'common,' even if it's courtesy. Not my family of course-" she was quick to add, "Well, except a few key members."

After a pause during which brown eyes met grey, Scorpius said, "I guess I should get back to work." He noticed her eyebrows raise.

"Do you have to?" she said, and she sounded a little disappointed.

He nodded and gave her a sad smile. "Sort of why I'm here."

"I find you much better company than all these folks, even if some of them _did _help save the Wizarding world or whatever." She played with her bracelet as she spoke.

"You sure you're not just trying to piss off your parents?" he joked, and she smiled out of surprise and batted his arm.

"Shut it! Am not!"

They laughed a bit and then they were looking at each other again and then she said, "Well, I s'pose you really have to get back to work." Scorpius nodded solemnly and started to walk back towards the kitchen, when she grabbed his sleeve. "Catch me before the party's over, yeah? I'll be the one with the mean expression leaning against the wall."

"Yeah, okay, I will," he answered, and hurried away before she could see him burst from joy.

He didn't notice his manager Ross following him back to the kitchen, but as soon as he'd swung the door open, Ross had grabbed his arm.

"Scorpius, look, I know that little scene with that wanker wasn't your fault," he said, and Scorpius as usual had to expend energy trying to look him in the eyes and not the unibrow. "But you can't interact with guests like that."

"But he started-"

Ross sighed. "I don't mean that. I mean you talking to one of the Weasley girls. It doesn't look good."

Scorpius started to apologize but Ross put up a hand. "Look, it's really not your fault. But just to avoid any other incidents like the McLaggen one, I'm putting you on dish washing for the rest of the night."

"You're really going to have Peter walk around out there?" Peter was the shrimpy dishwasher, and a year younger than Scorpius. Over the course of the summer, he'd managed to drop near thirty plates, seventeen wine glasses, and a ceramic platter. Of course, they were all easily fixable by magic, but Peter couldn't legally do it himself, so the hassle had been in finding an available older staff member before all the pieces scattered too far.

"Just for tonight, Scorp. It's not a big deal."

Scorpius complied and went to tell Peter.

"Really? They're going to let _me _cater?" Peter's whole body had perked up at the news. "Hell yes!" He began scrambling to untie his apron, but stopped when he saw Scorpius's long face.

"Oi, mate. What's wrong?"

Scorpius unhooked the apron from around Peter's neck and put it on. "Nothing. It's just…"

"Well, on with it!"

"There's this girl…"

Peter waggled his eyebrows. "Oh, is there? You gonna get it on with one of this high society dames?"

Scorpius shot him a look. "It's not like that, mate. Don't be gross."

"I don't know, man. Sounds pretty hot."

Scorpius ran his fingers through his hair. "She told me to catch her before the party ends, that's all."

"Oh, I get it," said Peter, winking very deliberately.

"Would you stop that?" Scorpius said, a little irritated but also a little amused.

Peter wiped his hands on his pants. "Sorry, Scorp. But if Rossy's not looking, maybe I'll come trade places with you before it's over, okay?"

"Would you really?" Scorpius said, lighting up over the stack of tiny plates he was about to clean.

"'Course mate. We're brothers here." With that, Peter left to pick up a tray.

If catering was boring as hell, Scorpius wasn't sure what that made dish washing. Of all the jobs, dish washing was the worst, as you didn't even get to see the crazy antics of the party-goers. Occasionally his fellow caterers would drop in with another stack of plates or to pick up the glasses he'd just set down on the drying rack, but other than that, it was rather lonely work.

He'd been at it for nearly an hour when Peter came dashing back to the sinks. "Quick, Ross is in the loo, you know he takes forever in there but I wouldn't waste your time." Peter untied the apron and Scorpius fumbled to get it off quickly enough.

"Go get 'er, mate," said Peter, punching his arm lightly.

"Wait," Scorpius looked down at himself, "How do I look?"

"Like a prick as always, you tosser," Peter ribbed. "Now get out there!" he said with a push.

In his rush, he went out without a tray or any catering paraphernalia at all, and hoped to Agrippa Ross wouldn't see him. He still needed to get his paycheck for the past week and a half, after all.

Back in the ballroom, he scoured the walls, looking for her dark red hair leaning against the marble. But even after a few minutes of walking around, mumbling "Excuse me," at frequent intervals, he didn't see her anywhere around the edges. He noticed that people had started dancing- a cotillion, he knew, because his mother had taught him all about how to live among the social elite. He paused in his search to watch the dancing, and happened to find just whom he was looking for.

Because there was Rose Weasley, dancing with the dark haired fellow, no mean expression to be found. In fact, she looked like she was having a lot of fun, really. Even if the guy seemed to be a total fool at dancing.

He watched for another moment or two before deciding to go back to the kitchen. He figured losing his job just to see this wasn't worth it.

Peter grinned at him when he slunk back to the sink.

"A real quickie, then, huh?" he said, giving Scorpius a playful shove with his elbow. Only, when he did, the dish he was holding slipped onto the tile floor. "Oh, shite," he said, starting to shove the pieces under the sink with his foot. "You saw nothing, mate. Remember that."

But Scorpius was barely paying attention.

"Not that good, was it?" Peter asked at his forlorn expression.

He shook his head. "She was busy."

Peter gave him a confused look. "Busy doing what?"

"Dancing with some bloke, that's what," he said. "Give me the apron before Ross comes back."

Peter handed it over and Scorpius took over the dishwashing.

"Geez, sorry to hear it mate."

Scorpius nodded and Peter went on his way when he saw Scorpius was no longer in the mood to talk.

* * *

"Excuse me Miss, we don't allow guests back here-" came Gregory's voice from the far side of the kitchen. The party had ended five minutes ago, and the whole staff was at work cleaning up both the kitchen and the ballroom.

"I'll just be a minute."

Scorpius began furiously scrubbing at a spot of marinara sauce at the sound of that voice.

Soon enough, Rose Weasley was standing next to him once again. He was vaguely aware of the fact that her dress was worth probably more than most of what he'd made that summer so far. In the muggy kitchen, in the midst of the smell reminiscent of compost, she was so out of place, so fresh and bright looking.

"You stood me up," she said by way of greeting.

Scorpius put down the rag and dirty saucer.

"My manager was upset with me for earlier," he tried, and it wasn't fully a lie.

She still looked impatient but also like she was trying to control her temper.

"For the thing with McLaggen? But that was his fault!"

"It wasn't just that. He didn't want me talking to you," he said calmly. She had a puzzled look on her face, and one of her red curls had sprung out of its place. He felt a strange urge to brush it back.

"And why's that?"

Scorpius shrugged. "It doesn't look good for the help to socialize with the guests. Makes them uncomfortable."

Her hands were on her hips. "Well that's total bullocks. I would have said screw that and done it anyways."

"You'd lose your job that way," Scorpius said, the corner of his mouth turning up.

"It's not about the job, though. It's about pride!"

"Some of us need the job," he said, and she blushed.

"Oh, Merlin. You're right. I'm being such a snot again. Sorry," she said, eyes downcast.

Scorpius grabbed her forearm. "Hey, it's alright. And, well, besides," he started without finishing.

"Besides what?" She looked up through her eyelashes and Scorpius was hit again by how very pretty she was.

Sighing, he told her, "Besides, I went to look for you anyways, but, well, you were dancing with some bloke."

She pulled away from his grip with a groan. "You saw that? How embarrassing."

"You didn't look too embarrassed."

"Geez, Scorpius. Do you know who that was? That was the bloody son of the Minister for Magic! 'Course I had to be nice, or it might've come to bite my parents back later!"

Scorpius raised an eyebrow.

"You don't believe me? The poor sad sack's fancied me since I was fourteen. Doesn't understand the meaning of 'not interested,' apparently."

"So you don't fancy him?" he asked, only afterwards wishing he'd bitten his tongue.

She laughed. "Hardly. The only thing worse than his dancing skills is his enormous ego." Scorpius felt himself relax a little. "Truthfully, Scorpius," Rose said, leaning against the counter and trying to be casual, "I sort of wish I could have danced with you."

He tried to play it cool, tried to hide his internal elation. "Well, I _am _a wonderful dancer."

Rose laughed. "Oh yeah? Prove it," she challenged.

"Right here?" he said, looking around. The kitchen by now was deserted as the rest of the staff was outside packing the van.

"Yeah," she said, and she grabbed his right shoulder and left hand.

"Well," he began, clasping her hand and letting his other hand slide from the small of her back to her waist, "We open with the classic waltz." She hummed a tune in ¾ time, and in the back of the kitchen, they danced a waltz. It was almost strange, really, how easily they fit together, Scorpius thought. He spun her without announcement and she laughed, and when she came back to face him, their bodies were closer together than ever.

Rose looked up at him with a smile and said, softly, "You really _are _a wonderful dancer."

In the stillness of the kitchen, their gazes held to each other as if by magnetic force, he knew he was about to kiss her. Their lips drew nearer to each other's, the distance becoming milliseconds apart, when-

"Ay, Scorpius, you ready to head out or-"

Their heads whipped to see Gregory, carrying a box of pans and looking rather stunned.

"Oh, I, uh- sorry to interrupt," said Gregory, taking a step back.

Scorpius and Rose had both dropped their arms. "It was nothing," said Scorpius with a shake of the head.

"I- uh- I'll be waiting in the van, then," said Gregory, who managed to shuffle the box in his arms enough to give Scorpius a thumbs up when Rose wasn't looking before walking out.

"Rosie, you almost ready to go?" called a voice from outside of the kitchen.

"Sorry," she said to Scorpius, before shouting back, "Just a minute, Dad!" She straightened the bottom of her dress, though it didn't need straightening. "I- well, I guess I'd better get going." She bit her lip, as though waiting for him to say something.

All he could manage was to mutter a "yeah" and run his fingers through his hair.

She waited a moment longer, though he wasn't sure what for, before saying, "Okay, good night, then," and walking out of the kitchen back into the ballroom.

* * *

AN: oooh, romance!

last chapter got only 2 reviews, but they were both really, really lovely ones. thanks for the follows, too.

reviews make for quicker updates! until next time!

GCP


	3. Chapter 3

On the flight home on the van, Scorpius was kicking himself for not kissing her, for not telling her how beautiful she was, for not doing any of it. He barely heard the jokes Gregory and Peter were making. Finally they dropped him off at the Manor. He welcomed the chance to be alone.

Only, he wasn't. He came into the Manor and was passing through the living room to the back stairs when he saw his father sitting, reading the newspaper.

"Hello, Scorpius," he greeted rather flatly.

"Hey, Dad. What're you doing up?" asked Scorpius, for it was one in the morning and his father, at the age that he was, was usually asleep by eleven thirty.

"Couldn't sleep yet," said Draco Malfoy as he folded up the paper. He looked Scorpius over and adjusted his glasses. "Are those my shoes?" he asked, and Scorpius couldn't tell if he was mad or not.

"Oh, yeah, I needed dress shoes for my job so-"

"So you thought it would just be okay to steal mine? As though it wasn't embarrassing enough that you go around in public, serving the people who took away our family name?" said Draco. His voice wasn't raised but the ice in it was tangible. "And in my shoes, too."

Scorpius ran his fingers through his hair again out of nerves. "Look, I'm sorry Dad, I should've asked first, but mum said-"

"Don't blame your mother, Scorpius. Please. You're nearly seventeen, you ought to act like it."

Scorpius nodded. "I'm sorry, Dad. I just really, really wanted the job."

"You think that it's fun? Being a servant?"

"I'm not a servant. It's my choice, and I get paid. Pretty well, too." Scorpius tried to stand up a little straighter but he still felt small against his father.

Draco only grimaced. "Just don't do it in my fucking shoes."

Scorpius was about to say more but his father had opened the newspaper again, and he figured he'd cut his losses and go to bed before Draco got into his yelling phase.

"Sorry. Good night."

Draco nodded but didn't look up.

Really, for a grown man, he sure could be petty sometimes, Scorpius thought. But he knew it wasn't just about the shoes. It was about pride, and his father's had been broken and it was still fragile.

He'd ended up using some of the money he'd saved- more than he would've liked- to buy new shoes. They didn't shine and they weren't particularly smooth to the touch- maybe not even real leather, not that that stuff mattered to him- but they would do the job. It was as if with the loss of his father's shoes, he'd also lost whatever used to make him feel the tiniest bit glamorous at these parties, as if it wasn't so farfetched to imagine himself in the other role.

Then he'd tell himself it didn't matter, because even if his shoes were plain, Rose Weasley wasn't there to notice it anyways.

Until she was. It was mid-August, and Scorpius had started to resent his job a little, started to hate the repetition; the same lady with those loathsome hats, Peter's same jokes, the same smell of garlic, the same absence of the one person he stuck it out for. He considered cutting back on his hours, but he decided he still needed the money, and in his heart of hearts, he was still hoping he'd bump into Rose again.

This was a party for the sake of having parties, and while not the largest event he'd seen that summer, it seemed everybody was there. As soon as he saw one Weasley, he couldn't stop smiling, knowing she would have to come at some point. And she always had a way to make his job more interesting.

This time, she spotted him before he spotted her. He was replacing one empty tray with a tray of finger sandwiches, when he felt a tap on the back.

"You're here!"

He reminded himself melting at the excitement in her voice was not manly.

"Where else," he quipped, returning her smile.

She plucked a finger sandwich off the platter he'd just set down. "You joke, but I went to this other party for one of my parents' friends- different catering company."

"And so you spent the night charming a different working bloke for once?" He loved her laugh, he loved that she laughed at the stupid things he said.

"Hardly." She lost the amused expression on her face for a moment. "Actually, I got piss-drunk, and technically I'm still on probation for knocking over a cake or two," she said in mock-hushed tones, and gestured with her head at her parents. Her mother was watching them, and Scorpius, in his panic, gave a little wave.

"Wish I could keep you from drinking," Scorpius said, standing up straight and picking up the empty trays, "But tonight's a busy night."

Rose pouted. "Come on, can't you have a little fun?"

Scorpius smiled. Who was he to deny the lady? "Look, I have my break at 10:45. I'll look for you."

She made an unhappy expression. "But that's forever from now!"

"Now you're just being demanding," he teased. Feeling someone's stare, he looked over his shoulder to see Ross glaring at him. When they made eye contact, Ross made a throat-cutting gesture with the butter knife he was supposed to be setting down.

Rose didn't notice and continued smiling at him. "Oh, you're right. 10:45. You better keep your word this time." She extended her pinkie, awaiting his promise.

He could only nod quickly and very briefly crook his pinkie round hers before saying a swift goodbye, all under Ross's steely gaze.

Indubitably, Ross came into the kitchen moments after Scorpius. Was it Scorpius's imagination or was Ross really shaking with anger? His unibrow furrowed.

"Scorpius, how many times do I have to tell you? If I ever, _ever _see you talking to that Weasley girl again, I am going to _fire _you, do you hear that?" Scorpius tried to mumble out some words of protest but was quickly cut off. "Not even a, 'Would you like a cocktail, miss?' Not even a, 'All of our vegetable dishes are organic.' Capiche? Because it's _my _business, _my _credibility that goes under fire when you do stupid things like that. You are not here to make a scandal, kid. You're not here to get off. You're here to cut their bloody flanksteaks and wipe their goddamn mouths with a napkin and a bloody smile." Ross had never been so cynical with Scorpius before. All he could do was nod dumbly. "Besides, she's got a thing going with the Minister's son. If he gets mad, guess who else gets mad?" Ross sighed, his anger subsiding for the time being. "Now get back to work, kid."

Scorpius muttered a quick, "Thanks, sir," and went on his way.

He was conflicted. On one hand, what he wanted most of all was to meet Rose Weasley at 10:45 and maybe kiss her or maybe just be content that he was the one she wanted to spend the evening with. On the other hand, he wanted to tell her not to wait for him at 10:45, even though he knew she'd be annoyed. And then, on the third hand, he knew it was a gamble to even try to tell her not to meet him at 10:45, because if Ross saw them talking, even just in passing, Scorpius knew he'd be out of a job.

"You alright, mate?"

Scorpius turned to see Mitch at the bar.

"Oh, well, yeah," Scorpius said, rather unconvincingly.

"You seem a bit out of it, is all." Mitch was eyeing him carefully.

Scorpius glanced to the right and saw Rose in the distance before averting his gaze down. "It's just-" He couldn't stop his eyes from flicking back to Rose, and Mitch followed their path.

"If this is about that bird, Scorpius, you've got to tread lightly."

Scorpius nodded. "I know, I know… but just why is it so crazy to think we could be together?"

Mitch ran his hand over his scruffy beard, thinking over an answer. "Well, it's like this, Scorpius. When you guys are at school together, it doesn't matter what you do. If you did date, the whole class thing would still be an issue, but it wouldn't be a scandal. But here, out in the real world… you'd be getting yourself in trouble. And her, too. Unneeded attention."

"But she wouldn't care about that!"

"It's not just that, mate. I've tried dating these upper class types. The truth is, we're a phase for them. Working men. We're a novelty to them. She might think you're the greatest thing since sliced pumpkin bread for a little while- the way you have to _work _for what you want, the way you don't care how your hair looks all the time- but she'll get bored of you. It's just a phase.

Did everybody decide to be a total cynic tonight?

"I don't think that's true, Mitch. I- I can't." Mitch acknowledged Scorpius's crestfallen face with a clap on the shoulder.

"Find out for yourself if you have to. You're a Ravenclaw, you're supposed to be logical. All you've worked for, your whole life, was respect. And guess what? She was born with it. That's the difference." He noticed the sadness pass over Scorpius's features and was quick to tack on, "Cheer up, mate. It's not the end of the world."

Scorpius nodded, but really he was lost in thought. He knew Mitch had to be wrong. Maybe that was Mitch's experience, and maybe there were some differences between him and Rose, some core differences, but after all, opposites attract, and maybe they could provide new perspectives for each other, create a whole new point of view together- Yes, he was resolved. He'd meet Rose at 10:45, screw the consequences. A sudden burst of passion fueled his work.

When he left the kitchen at 10:45 precisely, he was surprised to see Rose waiting patiently by the door, absentmindedly playing with the bottom of her skirt and humming to herself.

"Oh! There you are!" She was positively beaming at the sight of him. He was about to say hello when she grabbed his sleeve. "Come on!" And before he could protest, she was leading him Merlin knew where at quite a rapid pace. Frankly, he was surprised she could go that fast in heels.

She was about to lead him up a flight of stairs when he held back. "Wait," he said. "I can't go up there."

Rose cocked her head. "Why not?"

"I'm already risking my job by meeting up with you. I just- I think it's a bad idea to go exploring around the house I'm supposed to be working in."

She nodded. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking." They started walking back the way they came. "Hey, you'd really risk your job to hang out with me?" she mused, turning to look at him.

He gave her a bashful smile. "Well, er- yeah."

They stopped walking. In a short, dark corridor, where a cool draft made their skin prickle, Scorpius and Rose turned to face one another.

There was a moment of stillness.

"That's just so very nice of you,"she said rather softly, leaning up and into him.

And then they kissed.

It was everything he had imagined it to be, except, somehow, better. It was ernest, it was full of passion. It was a little bit frantic. He'd wanted it for so long, and now, here she was, in his arms, her fingers tangled in his hair. Scorpius had kissed two girls in the past. He realized now they were imitations of kisses, really. They were ghosts mimicking the real living thing, this thing he was sharing with Rose.

They kissed for what felt like forever. Finally, Scorpius pulled away in order to check his watch. "Oh, Merlin, Rose, I've got three minutes left on my break," he said, trying to straighten his shirt and fix his hair at the same.

Rose laughed and smoothed down what must have been a few flyaway hairs. "We'd better get back I guess."

As they made their way through the labyrinth of hallways, they walked closely enough together that their fingertips brushed, and at the third touch, with a grin, Scorpius took her hand in his, fingers intertwined. She smiled.

When they got to the doors of the ballroom, Scorpius's fingers hesitated over the door knob.

"Wait a second," said Rose, and she pulled him to a side door. It was the large and roomy coat closet. "Just to say goodbye?"

He laughed. "Like I would say no to that."

The closet was a large square, with racks on three walls full of coats and capes and cloaks and furs and the door on the fourth wall. A single lightbulb dangled from the ceiling, and Scorpius and Rose stood beneath it as they kissed.

He loved the feel of her mouth on his. And the touch of her hair and the silky green dress and-

They jumped apart at the sound of the door squeaking open, but it wasn't soon enough.

"MERLIN'S BLOODY LYMPH NODES!"

* * *

AN: Wanna guess who walks in? Hopefully I can still surprise you...

Please drop a review, I'd love to hear what you think of my Draco. I'm always wary of writing these main characters.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last one. Your reviews were both very sweet and highly appreciated.

GCP


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